Santana III Songs Ranked
Santana is the third studio album by the American rock band Santana. The band’s second self-titled album, it is often referred to as III or Santana III to distinguish it from the band’s 1969 debut album. The album was also known as Man with an Outstretched Hand, after its album cover image. It was the third and last album by the Woodstock-era lineup, until their reunion on Santana IV in 2016. It was also considered by many to be the band’s peak commercially and musically, as subsequent releases aimed towards more experimental jazz fusion and Latin music. The album featured two singles that charted in the United States. “Everybody’s Everything” peaked at No. 12 in October 1971, while “No One to Depend On”, an uncredited adaptation of Willie Bobo’s boogaloo standard “Spanish Grease”, received significant airplay on FM radio and peaked at No. 36 in March 1972. The album also marked the addition of 17-year-old guitarist Neal Schon (who performed notable solos on both singles) to the group. Here are all of Santana III songs ranked.
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9. Para los rumberos
“Santana’s third, unturd album. Not so much a stronghold for songs, more a like a groovin hotbed of psychedelic guitar and organ solos with a bit of dopey Mexican chant. The music spills out voluminously like a shy underground lava, scintillating a brilliant red but rarely erupting into anything too extravaganza-ish.”
8. Toussaint L’overture
“I guess if we apply this studio session-development outlook as a way to understand the band, it becomes self evident that the clearest blend between these trends – the pop, the psych and the jam, is also the best song of their entire catalog; Toussaint L’Overture.”
7. Everything’s Coming Our Way
“Everything’s Coming Our Way” has a nice jangly sensibility, and it’s so mellow it feels like a good closer, like the album just sorta drifts off, which doesn’t quite fit the vibe but is a perfectly acceptable way to close the album”
See more: Santana Albums Ranked
6. Taboo
“Growing ever more commercially oriented, this was where I parted ways with them. They correctly identified that their usage of Latin rhythms is what set them apart from the rest, but blending them with rock and roll is what made Santana appeal to the younger generation.”
5. Jungle Strut
“Jungle Strut” is an aptly named funk jaunt. So, while certainly not the end of Santana’s essential albums, this initial trio is sort of an end to a phase in his sound, as from now on there’d be a lot less blues & psych and much more jazz & fusion. If you’re a fan of the man’s work on the fantastic Abraxas, this is an must-listen.”
See more: Santana Songs Ranked
4. No One to Depend On
“No One to Depend On” has classic rock staple written all over it, and it kicks so much ass. You get the sophisticated rhythms all over Latin music, the great soloing of jazz, and the immediacy of rock all blended together. What more do you want? A high-paying job that also leaves you satisfied with your life? Come now, you can’t have it all…”
3. Guajira
“Check out “Guajira,” if you want to get back to that minor-key vibe. You can dance to this one! I wanted to call it salsa-flavored, but then I learned that guajira is a genre of Cuban dance music. I love the trombone here, it’s such a neat change of place. Plus Santana’s solo tears it up.’
2. Batuka
“After this album, lineup changes and a shift in direction towards a more fusion-oriented sound would mean this is the last album by the group to feature the blues- and Latin-tinged psych of Abraxas. But what an album! All the potential of the previous two albums comes together here to yield a rich and endlessly rewarding collection of tracks.”
1. Everybody’s Everything
“Everybody’s Everything,” another hit. That one’s also great, with the cool horns and the catchy chorus and the vibe, man. Roll another and feel the love of the cosmic consciousness. I’m into it.”
